Tractor-mounted hitch



Sept. 11, 1956 F. M. FRAGA 2,762,284

Y TRACTOR-MOUNTED HITCH Original Filed May 2, 1950 I s Sheets-Sheet sFnank M Fra 9a ATTORN EYS United States Patent 2,762,284 TRACTOR-MOUNTEDanon Frank M. Fraga, Fresno, Calif.

Original application May 2, 1950, Serial No. 159,537,

now Patent No. 2,640,708, dated June 2, 1953. Divisdggsgnd thisapplication May, 1953, Serial No. 3

Claims. (C l. '9747.53)

This invention is directed to, and it is the principal object toprovide, an improved tractor-mounted implement hitch especially designedfor use in connection with a tractor, such as the Ford or Ferguson type,which embodies transversely spaced power actuated lift arms at the rear;such lift arms being included in the combination of elements whichconstitutes the hitch.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a tractor-mountedimplement hitch which includes a pair of transversely spaced,longitudinal draft arms projecting rearwardly from below the lift arms;said draft arms having novel adjustable draft connection at their frontends with the tractor, and novel lift link connection intermediate theirends with the lift arms.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a tractor-mountedhitch, as in the preceding paragraph, in which the draft connection atthe front ends of the arms includes a fifth wheel assembly adjustable.tofixed positions or releasable for free rotation, selectively; therebeing means operative, when engaged, to lock the draft arms againstlateral swinging motion relative to the tractor, and the lift linkconnection between the draft arms and lift arms being lift links whichdiverge upwardly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tractormounted hitch,as above, which is adapted for use with sundry types of implements, withthe hitch being adjustable to different working positions for bestresults from each implement, and as working conditions may require.

A still further object of the instant invention is to provide atractor-mounted hitch wherein the described structure permits the hitchto be adjusted, selectively and dependent upon the type of implement andworking conditions, for unrestrained lateral swinging of the draft armsrelative to the tractor and about transversely spaced points adjacentthe rear axle; for unrest-rained lateral swinging of the draft armsrelative to the tractor and about a central point adjacent the rear axlebut locked against lateral Swinging about the aforesaid laterally spacedpoints; for mechanically offsetting the draft arms to right or leftwhile permitting the aforesaid lateral swinging about said transverselyspaced points; or so that the structure as a whole may swing freely as arigid unit to right or left about said central point. The purpose ofthese several positions of adjustment will hereinafter appear.

The hitch structure also provides for the self-leveling of theimplement, especially a wide one, when working lengthwise of furrows orin uneven ground, so as to prevent interference with steering when oneside of the implement strikes relatively hard soil or high spotsthereon.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a tractormounted hitchwhich is simple but rugged in structure, readily and economicallymanufactured, easily manually adjusted to the several working positionswithout removing or replacing-parts, and convenient to use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a practical andreliable tractor-mounted hitch, and one HCQ i which will be exceedinglyefiective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims; the present application being a division ofapplication Serial No. 159,537, filed May 2, 1950, now Patent No.2,640,708, on Combination Hitch.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan, partly broken away, of the hitch.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the hitch set to swing as a rigid unitabout the central pivot point, as when the tractor and implement aremaking a turn.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, showing the fifth wheel of the hitch asmanually swung in one direction, with the implement correspondinglyswung to an offset position.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the hitch with the parts as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the fifth wheel assembly.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged elevation of the extension bar for the lift arms,detached.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the novel hitch comprises a fifth wheel assembly, indicatedgenerally at 1, adapted to be secured to the under side of thedifferential housing 2 of a wheel-type tractor, indicated generally at3; the tractor including a body 4, rear axle housings 5 which extend inopposite directions from the differential housing 2, and rubber tired,rear wheels 6.

The fifth wheel assembly 1 includes a vertical pivot bolt 7, and arotary plate 8; there being elongated trunnions 9 fixed to the rotaryplate 8 and projecting from opposite sides thereof; i. e. laterally ofthe direction of travel.

The rotary plate 8 is adapted to be adjusted and held in the position ofadjustment, or permitted to freely turn, by means of the followingstructural arrangement:

A control rod 10 is connected, at its lower end, by a swivel joint 11,to the outer end of one of the trunnions 9, and thence said control rod10 extends at a forward and upward incline alongside the tractor body 4to connection, by means of a swivel joint 12, with the outer end of aradial lever arm 13 on a cross shaft 14 supported from the body 4 by abracket 15.

The cross shaft 14 is disposed above and intersects the tractor body 4ahead of the operators seat 16, and at the end opposite the radial leverarm 13 the cross shaft 14 is fitted with an upstanding lever handle 17which carries a spring-pressed latch device 18 cooperating with anadjacent notched quadrant 19. The latch device 18 includes a latchrelease lever 20 adjacent the upper end of the handle 17. The lever 20is adapted to be held, when desired, in release position, by means of abail 21 on the handle 17. To hold the latch device 18 open, for a periodof time and against the spring of said device, the lever 20 is swungtoward the handle 17 and engaged within the bail 21 in the manner shownin dotted lines in Fig. 4.

When the latch release lever 20 is held in its released position, asabove, the rotary plate 8 of the fifth wheel assembly is free to float.However, when the lever 20 is not secured by the bail 21 the latchdevice 18 is effective'to secure'the handle 17, and consequently therotary plate 8, fixedly in any selected angled position of adjustment,causing the implement to shift to a correspondingly offset and angledposition to right or left.

A pair of draft arms 22 project rearwardly in diverging relation fromcorresponding ones of the trunnions 9, andsaid draft arms are secured,at their forward ends, to such trunnions adjacent'the inner portions ofthe latter by means of swivel couplings 23.

At their outer ends the draft arms 22 are connected,

by swivel couplings 24, to trunnions 25 which project laterally fromopposite sides, and adjacent the lower end, of an upstanding A-frame 26.This upstanding A-frame 26 serves as the draft frame for the implement.In the present illustration the implement includes, by way of example, atransverse tool bar 27 secured to the A-frame by clamps 28, with saidtool bar supporting earth working tools 29 at spaced points therealong.

A longitudinal top link 30 is pivoted at its rear end, as at 31, tothe'upper end of the A-frame 26, and said link thence extends forwardlyto pivotal connection, as at 32, with a spring-resisted, longitudinallyshiftable member 33 on the tractor, which member is included in, andcomprises a control for, automatic lift mechanism.

The automatic lift mechanism includes transversely spaced, poweractuated lift arms 34 on the tractor above, and corresponding to, thedraft arms 22; forward shifting of the member 33 resulting in automaticpower lifting of the arms 34, whereas rearward shifting of the member 33results in lowering of said arms 34. This automatic lift mechanism onthe tractor is of the type which is found on the Ford or Fergusontractor, now available on the market.

The draft arms 22, as connected by the swivel couplings 23, to thetrunnions 9, are capable of unrestrained lateral swinging relative tothe tractor and the fifth wheel assembly 1. However, under certainworking conditions it is desired to restrain such lateral swinging ofthe draft arms 22 relative to the fifth wheel assembly 1, and this isaccomplished as follows:

Stay bars 35 are connected, at their forward ends, by bearings 36 toouter portions of corresponding trunnions 9; i. e. some distanceoutwardly of the swivel couplings 23 for the draft arms 22. From thebearings 36 the stay bars 35 extend, in diagonal or rearwardlyconverging relation, toward said draft arms 22. The stay bars 35 areformed, at their rear ends, withhooks 37 which are adapted to engage, inreleasable relation, with headed pins 38 on the draft arms 22intermediate the ends of the latter. When the hooks 37 are engaged onthe pins 38, the stay bars 35 hold the draft arms 22 in rigid relationto the rotary plate 8 of the fifth wheel assembly 1.

Attached to the lift arms 34 is a transverse extension or cross bar 39connected to the outer ends of the lift arms 34 by means includingdependent ears 40; the extension bar 39 projecting some distancelaterally outwardly of said arms 34.

Upwardly diverging lift links 41 are connected, by swivel joints 42 and43, between the outer ends of the extension bar 39 and the draft arms 22intermediate the ends of the latter. With this arrangement, the poweractuated lift arms 34 are effective to raise or lower the draft arms 22.j

The hitch-in any of its positions of adjustment, as hereinafterdiscussedis capable of permitting drag reaction from the implement towork the longitudinal top link 30 and shiftable member 33, whereby tocause a corresponding automatic motion of the power actuated lift arms34 in order to raise the implement under high drag conditions and tothereafter lower and return the implement to normal running depth.

The above described hitch is capable of being adjusted or set in thefollowing different ways, for use with varied types of implements, andas working conditions require:

When it is desired that the implement trail directly behind the tractor,yet with a long tongue effect; i. e. with the theoretical point of pull,as calculated by extending the draft lines of the arms 22, adjacent thefront of the tractor, the fifth wheel assembly is locked in itsposition, as in Fig. 1, but the stay bars 35 are released. This permitsthe draft arms 22 to be capable of unrestrained lateral swingingrelative to the tractor and said fifth wheel assembly.

With this setting the implement in effect steers with,

or follows generally the path of, the front wheels of the tractor;allowing quick response or maneuvering of the implement, which is anadvantage in row crop cultivating or the like. Also, the long tongueeffect is advantageous when using a wide implement such as a cottoncultivator, or a wide spring tooth harrow.

To attain a short tongue effect, with the hitch coupling the trailingimplement for relative pivotal movement abouta central point beneath therear axle; i. e. about the pivot bolt 7, the hitch parts are adjusted asfollows:

Firstly, the latch device 18 is released by engaging bail 21 with lever20; this permitting the plate 8 to freely rotate. Additionally, the staybars 35 are connected by engagingv hooks 37 with pins 38. This isespecially useful with implements having relatively great side draft,such as a mold board plow, or a Wheatland plow. As the implement withthis setting tends to follow the path of the rear wheels, it is easierto plow a straight line furrow, and additionally, the side draft of theimplement does not impair steering of the tractor, as would be the casewith the hitch set for a long tongue effect, as aforesaid, since anyside thrust is imparted to the tractor at a point near the center of therear axle.

A further advantage of having a central point of pull directly under therear axle is that there is no tendency to cause the tractor to overturnfrom front to rear.

When it is desired to mechanically offset the trailing implement, suchas a disc plow, to right or left, the lever handle 17 is manipulated tocause the rotary plate 8 to turn to a selected position of adjustment,as in Fig. 3,

which causes the lift arms to be shifted lengthwise in oppositedirections lengthwise of the tractor when the desired position ofadjustment has been obtained, the handle 17 is latched by the device 18to the quadrant 19. This causes the implement to be shifted to andmaintained in an offset running position, and in which position lateralswinging of the draft arms '22 is permitted; the stay bars 35 being thenreleased.

Not only. does adjustment as in the preceding paragraph make possiblethe mechanical offsetting of the implement, but it is very advantageouswhen an implement is running on a side hill since it offsets thetendency of the implement to slip down hill.

For pick-up of the entire implement from the ground by the lift arms 34,and for certain operating conditions,

both the fifth wheel assembly 1 and the stay bars 35 may be in theirlocked and engaged positions respectively; the entire hitch beingsecured in rigid unitary relation for lifting the implement or trailingit in a fixed position.

Another feature of the hitch is that if one side of the trailingimplement encounters high drag resistance, such one side will rise underthe influence of such high drag resistance and relieve the excessivepull on said side of the tractor. of the draft arms 22 and the fact thatthe swivelly connected lift links 41 diverge upwardly in a forwarddirection as shown; lateral shift of the implement resultant from theexcessive drag being translated by said divergent links into risingmotion at said one side of the implement.

Since it may be desirable at times to alter the divergence of links 41,the bar 39 is arranged so that the points of connection of said linkstherewith may be altered.

In general, the invention provides a hitch which is readily adaptablefor use with different types of trailing implements, and permits ofadjustment of such imple' ments to meet varying working conditions; thehitch thus being universal in its adaptations andready and convenient tomanually adjust to the several settings thereof.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as sub- This occurs because of the swivelmounting 8 s'tantially fulfills the objects of the'invention, as setforth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, thefollowing is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. An implement hitch for a tractor having transversely spaced poweractuated lift arms at the rear; the hitch comprising, with said liftarms, a pair of transversely spaced draft arms corresponding to andprojecting rearward from below the lift arms, a vertical-axis fifthwheel assembly mounted on the tractor and to which the draft arms attheir forward ends are swivelly connected, an implement draft structureadjacent the rear ends of the draft arms, means swivelly connecting therear ends of the draft arms to said draft structure, and liftingconnections between the lift arms and the draft arms; said connectionsdiverging forwardly in a transverse plane.

2. An implement hitch for a tractor having transversely spaced poweractuated lift arms at the rear; the

'hitch comprising, with said lift arms, a pair of transversely spaceddraft arms corresponding to and projecting rearward from below the liftarms, an implement draft structure adjacent the rear ends of the draftarms, means swivelly connecting the rear ends of the draft arms to saiddraft structure, lifting connections between the lift arms and the draftarms, and means swivelly connecting the draft arms at their forward endson the tractor for longitudinal adjustment of said arms in a directionlengthwise of the tractor.

3. An implement hitch for a tractor having transversely spaced poweractuated lift arms at the rear; the hitch comprising, with said liftarms, a pair of transversely spaced draft arms corresponding to andprojecting rearward from below the lift arms, an implement draftstructure adjacent the rear ends of the draft arms, means swivellyconnecting the rear ends of the draft arms to said draft structure,lifting connections between the lift arms and the draft arms, and meansswivelly connecting the draft arms at their forward ends on the tractorin a normally fixed but longitudinally adjustable relation thereto, orfor limited longitudinal floating motion, selectively.

4. An implement hitch for a tractor having transversely spaced poweractuated lift arms at the rear; the hitch comprising, with said liftarms, a pair of trans versely spaced draft armscorresponding to andprojecting rearward from below the lift arms, means swivelly connectingthe front ends of the draft arms to the tractor, said means securingsaid draft arms to the tractor for adjustment longitudinally thereof,means between the tractor and said draft arms selectively operative tolock said draft arms against lateral swinging motion, an implementdraft'structure adjacent the rear ends of the draft arms, means swivellyconnecting the rear ends of the draft arms to said draft structure, andlifting connections between the lift arms and the draft arms;

5. An implement hitch for a tractor having transversely spaced poweractuated lift arms at the rear; the hitch comprising, with said liftarms, a pair of transversely spaced draft arms corresponding to andprojecting rearward from below the lift arms,'a fifth wheel assemblyadapted to be mounted on the tractor at the rear, means swivellyconnecting the front ends of the draft arms to opposite sides of thefifth wheel assembly and in laterally swingable relation to the tractor,an implement draft structure at the rear ends of the draft arms, meansswivelly connecting the'rear ends of the draft arms to said draftstructure,

divergent lift links swivelly connecting related lift arms and draftarms, and selectively operative means between the tractor and fifthwheel assembly adapted to lock the latter in positions of rotativeadjustment.

6. An implement hitch for a tractor having transversely spaced poweractuated lift arms at the rear; the hitch comprising, with said liftarms, a pair of transversely spaced draft arms corresponding to andprojecting rearward from below the lift arms, a fifth wheel assemblyadapted to be mounted on the tractor at the rear, means swivellyconnecting the front end-s of the draft arms to opposite sides of thefifth wheel assembly and in laterally swingablerelation to the tractor,an implement draft structure at the rear ends of the draft arms, meansswivelly connecting the rear ends of the draft arms to said draftstructure, divergent lift links swivelly connecting related lift armsand draft arms, selectively operative means between the tractor andfifth Wheel assembly adapted to lock the latter in positions of rotativeadjustment, and selectively operative means between the fifth wheelassembly and draft arms adapted to lock the latter against lateralswinging thereof relative to said assembly.

7. An implement hitch, for a tractor, comprising a fifth wheel assemblyadapted to be mounted on the tractor at the rear, a pair of transverselyspaced draft arms projecting rearwardly from the fifth wheel assembly inlaterally swingable relation to the tractor, an upstanding draft framesecured to the draft arms at their rear ends, a longitudinal, centrallydisposed top link extending forward from the upstanding draft frame,there being transversely spacedpower actuated lift arms on the tractorabove corresponding draft arms, the tractor having control mechanism forsaid lift arms connected to and actuated by said top link, andselectively operative means to lock the fifth wheel assembly in positionof rotative adjustment, and to lock the draft arms against lateralswinging relative to said fifth wheel assembly.-

8. An implement hitch, for a tractor, comprising a fifth wheel assemblyadapted to be mounted on the tractor at the rear, a pair of transverselyspaced draft arms projecting rearwardly from the fifth wheel assembly inlaterally swingable relation to the tractor, selectively operative meansbetween the fifth wheel assembly and draft arms to lock the latteragainst lateral swinging thereof relative to said assembly, and meansoperative to lock the fifth wheel assembly in selective positions ofrotative adjustment; the tractor including transversely spaced poweractuated lift arms above and corresponding to the draft arms,

an extension cross bar secured to and projecting laterally from the liftarms, and lift links connected between the outer ends of said extensioncross bar and corresponding draft arms.

9. An implement hitch, for a tractor, comprising a fifth wheel assemblyadapted to be mounted on the tractor at the rear, a pair of transverselyspaced draft arms projecting rearwardly from the fifth wheel assembly inlaterally swingable relation to the tractor, an upstanding draft framesecured to the draft arms at their rear ends, a longitudinal, centrallydisposed top link extending forward from the upstanding draft frame,there being transversely spaced power actuated lift arms on the tractorabove corresponding draft arms, the tractor having control mechanism forsaid lift arms connected to and actuated by said top link, andselectively operative means to lock the fifth Wheel assembly in positionof rotative adjustment.

10. An implement hitch, for a tractor, comprising a fifth wheel assemblyadapted to be mounted on the tractor centrally at the rear, the fifthwheel assembly including a rotary part and opposed trunnions projectinglaterally therefrom, control means arranged to lock said rotary part inselective positions or permit the part to rotate freely, a pair oftransversely spaced draft arms projecting rearwardly from correspondingtrunnions, swivel couplings between said trunnions and draft arms,selectively operative means to lock the draft arms against lateralswinging relative to said rotary part of the fifth wheel assembly, anupstanding draft frame swivelly secured to the draft arms at their rearends, a longitudinal, centrally disposed top link extending forward fromthe upstanding draft frame, there being transversely spaced poweractuated lift arms on the tractor above corresponding draft arms, andthe tractor having control mechanism for said lift arms connected to 5and actuated by said top link.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 8Ferguson July 4, 1933 Silver Dec. 13, 1938 Martin Jan. 14, 1947 LambertJuly 15, 1947 Blessinger July 4, 1950 Onfrey July 17, 1951 Kinnan Dec.23, 1952 Fraga June 2, 1953 Frevik Mar. 16, 1954 Jeffreys Oct. 19, 1954

